Cheese Enchilada Casserole
1 can cream of mushroom soup (10.75-ounce)
1 can enchilada sauce (10 oz. I use Old El Paso, mild)
Corn tortillas, about 12-15 (I've never really counted)
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
In a bowl, stir together the cream of mushroom soup and the enchilada
sauce. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Tear several corn tortillas into
bite-sized pieces (tear each tortilla into about 8 pieces) and line
the bottom of the pan with one layer of the tortilla pieces,
overlapping slightly to avoid any open spots on the bottom of the pan.
Gently spread one-third of the soup-sauce mixture on top of the
tortilla pieces. Sprinkle one-third of the cheese over the top of the
sauce. Sprinkle one-third of the chopped onions and the chopped bell
peppers over the top of the cheese. Repeat the layers two more times,
for a total of three layers. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is
bubbly and the onions and bell peppers on top are cooked and turning
brown on the edges but not burned. (Again, I've never really timed it,
about 30 minutes, maybe. Keep an eye on it as it cooks.)
For freezing, I've lined the pan with foil and then greased the foil
before building the casserole. Then, I cooked it for a shorter period
of time, until the cheese was melted but not really bubbly. Then, I
removed the pan from the oven, let it cool. Because my small family
only eats half of this casserole at a time, I cut the casserole in
half, packaged each half separately and then placed in the freezer. I
wrapped each half-casserole in foil and then placed it in freezer
bags. Once cooled, the casserole is usually easy to transfer from the
pan to foil or plastic wrap with a spatula. To cook, I just place the
frozen casserole in the foil in a pan and cook at 350 degrees until
heated through.
This casserole also reheats well in the microwave. So, you can freeze
it in foil or plastic wrap, depending on how you plan to re-heat it.
I've also made a larger version of this casserole by just using more
ingredients and making more layers. It just took a little more cooking
time. I try to make two or three at a time, as long as I'm chopping
and shredding.
I serve it with Spanish rice (easy version: cooked brown rice mixed
with a can of stewed tomatoes, using less juice from the tomatoes if
you like it less juicy, and then re-heated) and canned fat-free
“refried” beans.